Tapping Into the Wisdom of Crowds

In this article, author James Surowiecki discusses the idea that -- contrary to common assumption -- there is a lot of wisdom to be found in crowds.

1 minute read

January 20, 2008, 7:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"When people get together in a group, they become more stupid than they were apart. As a result, although we often pay lip service to the idea of collaborative decision-making and the importance of listening to different voices, organizations and communities often assume that the best decisions will emerge from the judgment of a single leader or a small collection of decision-makers. But while this assumption may seem sensible to anyone who's had to suffer through a mind-numbing office meeting, it's actually a mistake. If you want to solve a complicated problem, or make a good decision, the best thing you can do is to cast a wide net and to incorporate the judgments of many people, rather than just a few. Crowds of people, it turns out, are not dumb. Much of the time, in fact, they turn out to be brilliant."

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 in Scenarios

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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